


Lost

by IzzyWritesStuff



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 06:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14326218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IzzyWritesStuff/pseuds/IzzyWritesStuff
Summary: When Danny goes into labor, Steve is nowhere to be found.





	Lost

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that I still have two unfinished stories. But I just couldn't resist and had to join the Hawaii Five-0 Big Bang (I hope I'm doing this upload the right way, lol)  
> The absolutely amazing art for this story is by Ms. 3! Thanks a lot! I'd also like to thank MissSlothy for the great and fast beta work!

II

* * *

 

 

Steve is in the middle of a pleasant dream, when something – or rather, _someone_ – repeatedly pokes his shoulder. Grunting into his pillow, he tries to shift away from the annoying jabbing. Despite what his friends may think, he enjoys sleep and would very much appreciate a few more hours of shuteye, before his alarm goes off at six o’clock, forcing him to go back to work. Unfortunately, the person who’s so determined to wake him up isn’t giving in.

“Babe, are you awake?” His husband’s voice drifts into Steve’s sleep muddled brain.

“No,” Steve mumbles in reply, burying deeper into the comfy mattress of their bed. He came home late last night. Five-0’s latest case had kept him at the office until after ten, and when he finally arrived at their beachfront house, Danny had already been asleep.

Danny nudges him again. “Steve, come on. It’s important. Turn on your light.”

The word “important” manages to rouse Steve enough to flip over and turn on his bedside lamp. With a husband who’s just shy of 36 weeks pregnant, “important” can be… well, _important_.

Blinking against the harsh light, Steve makes a mental note to switch out the much too bright light bulb for one that feels less like someone is stabbing your eyes with a scorching knife. Flopping back down on the mattress, he rubs his gritty eyes and mumbles, “What’s going on?”

Danny, who has propped himself up on his right elbow and is squinting down at Steve, bites his bottom lip. “I can’t sleep,” he says, left hand rubbing over his round belly.

Slowly clawing his way from being half-asleep to being fully awake, Steve lets his eyes roam over his husband’s body. As many nights before, Danny has kicked off the covers completely, allowing Steve to visually check and inspect every inch without any restrictions. “What’s wrong?” he mumbles when he can’t find anything noticeably wrong with his pregnant husband. He elbows himself into a more upright position, growing worried.

“I can’t stop thinking about almond butter,” Danny admits sheepishly.

Steve sinks back against his pillow with a relieved sigh. “And that’s why you woke me?” He groans, scrubbing a hand down his face. He loves his husband – more than _anything_ in this world – but sometimes he wants to punch him. Just a little bit.

He hasn’t noticed that his eyes have closed again, until Danny shakes his shoulder anew. “Can you get me some?”

Forcing his heavy eyelids back open, Steve blinks at Danny. “ _Now_?” He squints at the alarm clock on his bedside table and groans inwardly. “Danny, it’s three o’clock in the morning and we’re all out of almond butter,” he tries to reason, but his heavily pregnant husband doesn’t seem to care.

“But the store around the corner is open 24/7,” Danny reminds Steve in the sweetest voice possible. When Steve is still unwilling to get out of bed and drag himself to the store, Danny sticks out his bottom lip, almost pouting. “C’mon, babe. I won’t be able to sleep without it. Do it for our baby,” he adds and pats his stomach to emphasize his reason.

Steve huffs out a breath. “Low blow,” he points out, stabbing a finger at his husband’s innocent looking face. Throwing the covers back, he clambers out of bed and puts on the grey shirt he’d worn to work the day before. It smells a lot like dirt and sweat, but he can’t be bothered to rummage through his dresser for a clean one. “Anything else you need? Because I’m not running to the store twice.”

“Pickles. But the salty ones. I don’t like the sweet kind. They give me acid reflux.”

Steve grimaces. Danny’s always had a bit of an odd sense of taste, but the pregnancy has made his taste buds go completely crazy. Because who _on Earth_ dips sour pickles into almond butter? The thought alone makes Steve want to gag.

Grabbing his phone and wallet and shoving them in the pocket of his black sleeping pants, Steve nods. “I’ll get you your pickles and almond butter. I’ll be back soon.”

The blissful smile on his husband’s face almost makes dragging himself out of bed in the middle of the night worth it. _Almost_.

“Thanks, babe. I love you!” Danny calls after him, as Steve jogs down the flight of stairs. Eddie looks up from his preferred sleeping spot next to the couch and tilts his head, making his ears flop.

Steve motions for the lab to get up. “C’mon, buddy. We’re going for a walk.”

Eddie gets up so fast, his paws almost slip out from underneath him on the hardwood floor. Wagging his tail excitedly, he looks up at his owner. Chuckling, Steve grabs the leash and puts it on the dog. After disarming the alarm, he slips on a pair of flip-flops and leaves the house. With a yawn, he closes the front door behind him and walks into the humid night to get Danny the things he craves.

Danny hears the front door fall shut downstairs, and he grins to himself. Steve might moan and complain about getting woken up in the middle of the night, but Danny knows that his husband would walk to the end of the world and back for him – even if it were just to get a jar of almond butter. Because the second they found out about the pregnancy – although unplanned – they were completely enamored. Especially since Steve’s frightening run-in with radiation poisoning last year, the doctor had told them that having biological children would be almost impossible for the former SEAL.

Back then, it hadn’t really mattered, because they weren’t planning on having any kids of their own. They’d talked about it and Steve had said that Grace and Charlie were more than he’d ever dared to dream of. With that, they had put that matter to rest – until Danny went to his annual check-up and found out that, despite everything, he’s pregnant.

Now, a few months later, they’re preparing for the arrival of their baby girl. Not long now, and it won’t be _Danny_ waking Steve up in the middle of the night anymore. Instead, a teeny tiny human will keep them on their toes.

Because of his age of 41, Danny’s gynecologist has deemed it a high-risk pregnancy. Doctor Keawe had instantly put him on easy desk duty and at just 20 weeks, he was sent on medical leave until the delivery. At first, he hadn’t been too happy about being coped up in the house with nothing to do for months, but after realizing the advantages of being able to order Steve around day and night, he’d found it much more enjoyable – much to his husband’s annoyance. But what is a bit of sleep deprivation compared to Danny’s weight gain, swollen ankles, back pain and nausea…?

Chuckling to himself, Danny runs both hands over his large belly. Their daughter seems to be asleep at the moment, but Danny knows that the second he tries to doze off, she will wake up and start kicking and punching him.

Shifting a little to relieve the ache in his lower back, Danny rolls over onto his side and curls around the pregnancy pillow, which was a gift from Tani. It’s bright pink with purple stars on it and small, glittery embroidered flowers in rose. Steve absolutely _hates_ it, and even threatened to banish it from their bedroom. To Danny, the color of the U-shaped pillow couldn’t matter less. As long as he can shove it under his gigantic baby bump, it could be bright green with orange stripes for all he cares.

Danny dozes a little, until he hears the pounding of Eddie’s paws on the stairs, followed by the rhythmical clicking of the dog’s claws on the wooden floor. Raising his head, Danny smiles at the dog, who pushes the bedroom door open all the way with his snout.

“Hey, buddy,” Danny says, patting the empty spot next to him. Without any trouble, the Lab jumps onto the bed and settles next to Danny. In the beginning, they tried to keep him out of their bed, but it was of no avail. Whenever they closed their eyes, Eddie sneaked back onto the mattress. Now, they just let him do it. Danny scratches the animal behind his left ear, while Eddie’s panting, tongue hanging out of his mouth, looking content and comfortable.

“Oh, that’s great. Just great, Eddie. Do I need to be jealous?” Steve asks, when he appears in their bedroom a minute later. He’s carrying a brown paper bag in one hand, and a small plate and spoon in the other one.

“Don’t worry, babe. There’s enough room for you as well,” Danny assures his husband with a grin, hand waving at the narrow twenty inch wide piece of mattress that’s not taken up by Danny, Eddie or the pregnancy pillow.

Steve hands Danny the paper bag, plate and spoon. “As tempting as it sounds, I can’t. I just got a call from HPD. We got a body down at the marina.”

Danny’s face falls. “But you just came home a few hours ago.”

Steve sighs, and Danny notices the dark circles under his eyes. Five-0’s been particularly busy lately. Drug lords, human traffickers, dirty gangs, angry wives that murder their cheating husbands; it seems like everyone who’s got an illegal thing going is choosing to go for it now, preventing Five-0, HPD and every other law enforcement team on the island from getting any rest. Suddenly, Danny feels guilty for waking his hardworking husband and keeping him from getting the sleep he wants and needs.

“I’ll be back soon,” Steve says, interrupting Danny’s thoughts. He pulls his shirt over his head, revealing his muscular, tanned abs. Before he strips out of his sleeping pants, he kneels on the bed and leans down to give Danny a quick kiss. His left hand settles on Danny’s belly.

Reaching out, Danny wraps his fingers around his husband’s wrist, keeping it in place. “Be careful,” he orders, looking at Steve with a serious expression. He always worries about his reckless partner, but now that he can’t physically _be_ there to have Steve’s back, he worries even more.

“I’m always careful,” Steve replies with a lopsided smile.

Danny can’t help but roll his eyes at his husband’s statement. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that,” he sighs, as he lets go of Steve’s wrist. Straightening up, Steve simply grins at him before disappearing in the bathroom to get ready for what’s most likely going to be another long day at work.

 

Steve stifles a yawn as he steers his large Silverado toward Ko Olina Marina on the west side of Oahu. The streets are almost deserted at this time of the day, and everything is quiet, except for the roaring of the truck’s powerful engine. Reaching out blindly, Steve gropes around for the large travel mug of coffee he’s fixed himself before leaving the house. The scalding liquid burns his tongue and throat as he gulps it down, but he knows he needs the caffeine to make it through the day.

When he arrives at the marina forty minutes later, he can see the flashing of blue from afar. At least half a dozen police cars are parked in close proximity. Slowing down his own vehicle, he pulls up next to Lou Grover’s large SUV and turns off the engine. After checking for his gun and badge, Steve opens the door and slides out. The air is less humid on this side of the island, and he breathes in the smell of salt.

Steve bypasses an officer who’s guarding the path that leads to what must be the crime scene. He can’t put a name to the face, but he’s sure he’s seen this particular HPD officer around before. With a courtesy nod, Steve walks past him, eyes already fixed on the group of people he can see standing around a white sheet on the ground. The bulge of the sheet makes it obvious that a body lies underneath it.

Before Steve can ask anyone for details, Lou appears at his side with a somber expression on his face. “Victim’s name is Sarah Parker, eighteen years old,” Grover explains without being asked. His voice sounds husky, and the emotional impact of the case is displayed in the sadness of his dark eyes. “Two fishermen found her floating face down in the harbor. They pulled her out, but it’s obvious she’s been dead for hours.”

Lou gestures for Noelani to pull away the sheet. The young medical examiner nods sharply, before lifting the white fabric.

During his time with the Navy, Steve has seen a lot of gruesome bodies. And even with Five-0, he’s seen some extremely disturbing things. But the sight of the blonde girl, face bruised, pale and bloated by the water, causes a large lump in his throat. His mind flashes to Grace, who’s just a few years younger than their latest victim, and then to his own unborn daughter. His heart clenches painfully inside his chest and he has to clear his clogged throat. “What’s the COD?”

Noelani carefully tilts the girl’s head to the side and brushes the blonde hair that’s plastered to her head away from her neck. She points a gloved finger at the purple ring around her throat. “Most likely strangulation. There is also a shallow wound on the back of her head, but it looks like that was inflicted postmortem,” she explains, then grabs the victim’s limp hand to cautiously turn it over. “Some of her fingernails are broken, which makes me think that she fought whoever attacked her. Maybe I can get some DNA from underneath the nails.”

Steve’s eyes are still fixed on the lifeless face, and out of the corner of his eye, he catches Lou motion to Noelani to cover the body up again. Exhaling to cleanse his mind, Steve focuses back on the case at hand. They have a killer to catch, and he wants to get whoever did this to Sarah Parker off the streets as soon as possible.

“Are Tani and Junior here yet?” he asks Lou, wondering if the two youngest members of their team have already arrived.

Lou nods toward a nearby ambulance. “They are questioning the two fishermen. They’re pretty shaken up.”

Dawn is fast approaching, and Steve is just able to make out Tani and Junior’s outlines. Despite their young ages, the two have quickly become important and essential members of Five-0. Tani’s quick-wittedness and no-bullshit attitude reminds Steve a lot of Danny, as does Junior’s fondness of rules. On the other hand, Tani shares Steve’s shoot-first-ask-questions-later manner, and with Junior he’s got the military background in common. In short, both he and Danny can see parts of themselves reflected in their young colleagues.

“They arrived in the same car, by the way,” Lou adds with a knowing smirk, as they walk toward the ambulance.

The revelation makes Steve smile. He noticed a while ago the interesting chemistry between Tani and Junior; an affectionate smile here, an intimate touch here. It all was so familiar to him. He hadn’t needed any special skills to figure out that he and Danny weren’t the only ones involved in a workplace romance anymore.

The two fishermen are sitting side by side in the back of the ambulance, a warm blanket wrapped around their shoulders. They both look ghostly white underneath their Hawaiian tans, and their eyes are glassy and unfocused. It’s obvious that they are in shock. It’s just a gut feeling, but Steve is almost certain that they have nothing to do with the murder. They just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Tani, Junior,” Steve says, calling his two teammates over and out of earshot of the two fishermen. “Did they tell you anything?” he asks as soon as they are out of earshot of the ambulance.

“Not much,” Tani sighs. She brushes a strand of her dark curls out of her face and behind her ear. It doesn’t look like she had time to properly brush her hair. “They were out night fishing and saw the girl in the water. When they pulled back into the harbor, they passed another boat playing loud party music, so they thought she’d fallen off. But when they pulled her aboard, they realized that she was already dead.”

“Did they see the name of the other boat?” Steve asks.

“No. All they were able to tell us was that it was a black yacht about one hundred feet in length,” Tani explains.

Steve sighs and runs a hand down his face. They don’t have much to go on. In Hawaii, there are dozens of black, luxury yachts. The rich and famous love to flaunt their wealth and fortune, and tracking down such a common type of boat is going to be a challenge. Time is of the essence now.

“Junior, contact the harbormaster and find out if he knows anything about a yacht that left the marina in the night,” Steve orders, and Junior walks off with a sharp salute. Steve turns to Grover. “Lou. You coordinate with the coastguard. Get a chopper in the air. If the boat is still out there, I want them to find it. And Tani, you check the marina’s surveillance footage.”

“What are you going to do?” Tani asks.

“I’m going to contact a friend in the Navy who might be able to get me access to some satellite cameras. We need to find that yacht before it disappears. At this time of the day, not a lot of boats are out there, so we need to act fast,” Steve explains, already digging through his pocket for his cellphone. He might no longer be an active part of the Navy, but he’s still got a bunch of reliable people that owe him a favor or two.

 

It’s the sound of a honking car outside that rouses Danny a few hours after he’s fallen back asleep. Smacking his lips a little, he blinks open his eyes, surprised that the bedroom is already flooded with warm and bright daylight. As usual when he’s got the bed to himself, he’s sprawled on his back like a starfish; upper body on Steve’s side of the bed, and bottom part on his own side. Eddie has retreated to the foot of the bed, where he’s curled into a ball, snoring softly.

Before Danny’s even fully alert, his bladder reminds him that it has limited space inside his body nowadays, and as fast as his large bump allows, he rolls out of bed. The simple task of just moving to the edge of the mattress is enough to leave him panting. With one hand on his belly, he awkwardly hoists himself to his feet with a throaty grunt. His lower back twinges and he kneads a particularly sore spot with his fingertips, while waddling into the bathroom.

He loves the experience of being able to feel his daughter kick and move around inside of him. It forms a very special and unique bond. Nonetheless, at 36 weeks, he can’t wait for her to make her grand entrance. While heading for the toilet, Danny glares at the pair of scales that sit in the corner of the bathroom, reminding him in a mocking way that he’s gained over thirty pounds already. Steve had even threatened to hide them, because Danny has a mini-breakdown every time he steps onto the scales.

Although, to be honest, Danny’s not one hundred percent sure if _he_ is the reason Steve wanted to make them disappear, because not only _Danny_ has gained some pregnancy weight. _Steve_ has put on three or four pounds as well. Not that Danny minds. In his eyes, his husband is and will always be the most handsome man on the planet Earth. And his husband’s anticipation and excitement for their baby’s arrival makes him even sexier.

Danny takes care of business and then strips out of his sleeping clothes to take a shower. He turns the temperature from cold – Steve’s preferred way of showering in the morning – to almost boiling. He sighs when the hot water succeeds in relieving some of the ache in his back, and he just stands under the spray for a few minutes, eyes closed and mind wandering.

When he finally gathers enough energy to wash and shampoo his hair and body, another basic need makes itself known; hunger. Danny speeds up the process of cleaning himself, and carefully steps out of the shower to dry himself off. He shuffles back to the bedroom and pulls out fresh underpants, a clean shirt and a pair of jeans maternity pants. At first, he had fought Steve tooth and nail on those pants. But, with time, he’s learned to appreciate the elastic waistband and general comfort they offer.

Before heading downstairs, Danny checks his cell phone for any missed messages or calls. He’s not surprised to not have received anything. It’s a couple of minutes past nine, and he guesses Five-0 is busy solving their latest murder case. But Danny can’t help himself. As he heads downstairs, he tries to call his husband, hoping to get an update on the investigations.

Two beeps later – Danny’s almost at the bottom of the stairs now with Eddie trailing behind him – Steve picks up. _“Hey.”_

“Hey, yourself,” Danny replies. “How’s the case going? Got any leads?”

There’s a heavy sigh on the other end of the line, and Danny can practically see his husband passing a hand over his face in his mind’s eye. _“Not good,”_ Steve admits, sounding tired again. _“We checked the surveillance footage, talked to the harbormaster and tried to track down the yacht by helicopter. Nothing. It’s like that damned boat has dropped off the face of the planet.”_

There’s nothing Danny would love more in this very moment than to wrap his arms around Steve and knead his tense shoulders. “What’s the next step?” he asks instead, fingers toying with the bowl of fruit that’s on the kitchen counter in front of him.

_“I have a buddy of mine checking the nearby islands with a high-tech Navy satellite. And Noelani is trying to get foreign DNA off the victim’s body. We might get lucky.”_

Danny leans against the counter, looking outside into their backyard. The weather’s beautiful, and it’s going to be another sunny and hot day in paradise. Nonetheless, Danny feels a bit gloomy. He’d much rather be at the office with his team now, instead of being stuck at home. When Steve’s not with him, it’s just plain boring. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Based on Steve’s huff, that’s the wrong thing to ask. _“Just stay out of trouble at home,”_ the former SEAL says, and Danny sputters.

“Are you seriously telling _me_ that?” He splutters, free hand cutting through the air. “Do I have to remind you who is known _by name_ at Tripler? You’re part of the furniture here!” There’s a chuckle, hoarse and weary, but it’s genuine, and that’s enough to make Danny worry a tiny bit less about his trouble-magnet husband.

 _“I’m joking, Danny,”_ Steve says. _“Just promise me you’ll take it easy. The doctor warned you about moving around too much. Just relax.”_

Plucking a grape from a string, Danny pops one into his mouth. “I will. You’ll call when you make any headway, right?”

_“I will. I’ll see you tonight, Danno, okay? I love you.”_

“I love you too, babe. Be careful,” he adds. He doesn’t want to appear controlling, but he has to admit that he has the persistent urge to make sure his husband’s okay. It’s some kind of nesting reflex, he’s read it in a book. And although he tries not to call the office ten times a day, he still checks in with Steve and the team regularly. They call him a worrywart, but he just can’t help himself. It’s not until Steve’s back home, safe and sound, that he can fully relax. Worrying is just what he does.

The conversation comes to an end and Danny hangs up the phone. With a sigh, he straightens up and heads over to the refrigerator. His stomach is rumbling hungrily as he eyes the fully stocked fridge. Steve’s made sure there’s a bit of everything, and Danny appreciates his husband’s relentless effort to make him perfectly happy. Mouth-watering, Danny grabs the peanut butter, olives and ranch dressing.

 

Steve’s on his third cup of coffee that day, and he’s almost certain that if he doesn’t eat anything soon, the bitter liquid is going to burn a hole through his stomach lining. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he pushes to his feet and leaves his office. Jerry is standing at the smart table, eyes fixed on the various satellite frames on the large wall screen.

“Anything?” Steve asks, as he tracks the fast moving recordings.

Jerry pauses the videos. “Not yet. But I’m working on it. These satellites are great. I can almost see ants crawling on the ground with it. Astonishing,” he marvels, sounding like a kid on Christmas morning.

“Just keep looking,” Steve tells him, before looking around for the rest of his team.

Junior and Tani are sitting next to each other in one of the offices, intently looking at something. A while ago, Steve had tasked them with digging up every social media profile, email account and post that was made in or about Sarah Parker’s name. And in the modern world of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and whatever else there is, it might take a while.

“Lou went to grab some sandwiches,” Jerry points out, before Steve’s even noticed that the Chicago native is absent.

“Good idea,” Steve nods, realizing that he’s starving. He usually eats a substantial and filling breakfast, but there simply hadn’t been time today. Not when a case ordered him out of bed before the sun was even up.

 

Against doctor’s orders, Danny spends the morning in the laundry room, folding his and Steve’s clean clothes. It’s a struggle to bend down and retrieve the things from the dryer, but he manages with some awkward twisting and grunting.

Next, he loads the washer with their dirty laundry. Before tossing it in, he checks all pockets. With Steve, you never know what you’ll find. The man’s a master of stuffing all kinds of items in his pockets, and then forgetting about them. Danny has reserved the right to keep all the money he happens to come across in the process.

In addition to having to check all pockets, Danny also has to closely inspect all his husband’s shirts. Because Steve has the bad habit of tossing no longer wearable clothes into the laundry basket as well. Therefore, Danny needs to check each piece of clothing for rips, holes and stains; dirt, blood and other disgusting bodily fluids – Steve’s own and other people’s.

Danny’s just closed the door of the washer, when he feels a ripple of pain in his lower abdomen. With a grimace, he presses his hand against the aching spot. Maybe, he should have listened to Doctor Keawe and stayed off his feet. Steve is going to have his head when he finds out that he didn’t just lounge around in bed or the couch all day, because the doctor had given him very clear and straightforward instructions; no exercise, no work, no exertion, no stress… The list was endless.

With one hand rubbing his belly, Danny heads for the brown leather couch in their living room. It’s a remnant of Steve’s parents, and Danny just can’t bring himself to confess to his husband that the thing is clearly knackered and that they need to buy a new one.

Carefully, Danny lowers himself onto the sofa. Eddie walks over to him, and lays his head on Danny’s thigh. He huffs out what sounds like an annoyed huff.

With a chuckle. Danny ruffles the Lab’s soft fur. “I know, I know. No strenuous activities, yadda, yadda.” Eddie barks. “Relax, boy. I’m taking it easy, see?” he says, motioning to himself. Then he shakes his head. “You’re almost as bad as Steve, you know that?”

Danny’s pretty sure the dog is grinning proudly at him.

 

Steve feels considerably better having eaten an entire ham and cheese sandwich from the deli down the street. In fact, everyone appears more aware and alert after a quick break.

Standing around the smart table in the main room of the Five-0 office, they go over everything they have so far which, admittedly, isn’t a whole lot. It’s almost noon now, and they haven’t made the headway Steve’s been hoping for.

“Let’s hope Noelani is able to pull some DNA off the victim’s body,” he says, resisting the urge to sigh heavily.

As if the universe has heard his plea, his phone rings with an incoming Skype call from the medical examiner. He doesn’t hesitate to answer, and transfer the video call onto the large screen.

“Noelani,” he greets her, hoping she has good news for them.

 _“I found something,”_ she reveals right away, not beating around the bush. _“I was able to gather enough DNA from underneath the victim’s fingernails to identify the person who most likely attacked her. His name is Kevin Lloyd.”_

Tani hunches over the smart table and rapidly types in the name. The driver’s license of a young guy pops up, along with a flawless track record. Steve skims the info quickly; Kevin Lloyd, born 1992, living in Kailua. Caucasian, blond hair with dark brown eyes, six foot two tall.

“He looks familiar,” Lou mutters.

Steve narrows his eyes at the picture of the man. Something about the shape of the face nudges at his brain, but he’s not able to put his finger on it yet. Clenching his jaw, he tries to force the memory to the foreground.

Suddenly, his mind flashes back to a couple of months ago when Five-0 had investigated a human trafficking ring in Kaneohe. A wealthy, influential family had been at the center of the investigation, because everyone assumed they were responsible for the disappearing girls. Unfortunately, neither HPD nor Five-0 had been able to prove anything.

Kevin Lloyd just happened to be the oldest son of their main suspect at the time; Christian Lloyd, a sixty-one year old businessman from Detroit. That _can’t_ be a coincident.

Steve is just about to explain this to his team, when his phone rings again. “It’s my contact from the Navy,” he announces, before snatching the phone off the table and picking up. Instead of putting it on speaker, though, he presses it against his ear. “Tell me you found the yacht.”

 _“I did, Smooth Dog,”_ a rugged voice replies. _“The boat is anchored in a harbor on Maui. I’ll forward you the coordinates.”_

A welcome rush of adrenaline buzzes through Steve’s system, chasing away the last fragments of lingering weariness. It seems like they’re finally getting somewhere.

“Thanks, Mickey. I owe you.”

 _“Nah, you don’t. We’re even now,”_ Mickey responds with a chuckle. _“Just promise me you’ll catch the sonofabitch.”_

Steve nods once, sharply. “We will.”   Ending the call he addresses his team. “Wrap it up, guys, we’re going on a trip.”

 

Danny is dozing on the couch, belly propped up on a soft pillow. Eddie is lying at his feet, twitching every now and then.

A noise pulls Danny out of his slumber, and he gropes the coffee table for his vibrating cell. Blindly, he closes his fingers around it and answers without checking the display. “Williams.”

 _“Danny, it’s me.”_ There’s a lot of noise in the background, and Danny has to strain his hearing to understand his husband’s words. _“Everything okay at home?”_

“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine,” Danny waves him off, more interested in the loud buzzing on the other end of the line. “Where are you?” Someone is shouting in the background, and Danny struggles to sit up. Steve doesn’t reply. “Babe?”

 _“Yes, sorry. I’m here,”_ Steve voices come back through the line. _“I’m at the airport. We have a lead over on Maui.”_

“Maui?” Danny repeats. “You’re going to Maui?”

Steve proceeds to explain to him the latest developments in the case, and Danny’s not sure if he should be happy about the progress made, or worried. Because not being able to have Steve’s back is one thing, but not being able to have his back while he is on a different island is an entirely different matter.

“Okay,” Danny sighs in resignation, while rubbing his round belly. The baby is awake now, and apparently equally as unhappy about Steve’s expedition as he is. “When will you be back?”

_“Tonight, if things go according to plan. We know where the yacht is, and we have the address of the Lloyd’s vacation property. We’ll find Kevin, interrogate him and if my gut’s right – which it usually is – then he’s our killer.”_

“Alright. Go get your bad guy. And don’t blow up Maui while you’re at it, okay?” Danny jokes.

Someone is calling Steve’s name, and Danny knows that it’s time to let his husband go do his thing. They quickly say goodbye to each other, before the call disconnects.

With a sigh, Danny drops his cell onto the pillow next to him and relaxes against the back of the couch. He can’t wait to wrap his arms around his husband when he comes home. Steve is probably going to be exhausted after such a long day, but if Danny’s lucky, he can sweet-talk Steve into a round of cuddling in bed – with an option to do more…

Danny’s thoughts are interrupted when his lower back spasms again. With a curse and a pained grimace, he shifts, trying to find a position that puts less pressure on his sensitive back. But, instead of lessening the discomfort, the pain spreads around his sides to his abdomen. He doesn’t like to admit it, but maybe Doctor Keawe had been right about taking it easy.

He tries to get comfortable on the leather couch for a while, but nothing makes him feel better. Giving up, Danny heaves himself off the sofa and shuffles to the stairs, Eddie on his heels. With a sigh, he grips the banister and climbs up the flight of stairs. Maybe a nap in a real bed will make him feel better.

 

The helicopter jolts slightly when it touches down in the parking lot of Maalaea Harbor on Maui. Two cars from the local police are already waiting for Five-0, having been informed of the task force’s arrival. Steve thanks the pilot with a quick shaka, before he takes off his headset and slips out of the helicopter. In the row behind him, Tani, Junior and Lou do the same.

Squinting against the sand and dirt that’s been whirled up by the powerful rotor blades of the helicopter, Steve strides toward the waiting officers. He extends his hand. “I’m Commander McGarrett. This is Officer Tani Rey, Lieutenant Junior Reigns and Captain Lou Grover.”

The two cops introduce themselves and bring the Five-0 team up to speed on the case. “We have three of our people guarding the yacht. When we arrived here, the boat was already deserted, though. The harbormaster said he saw four people getting into a black limousine a while ago.”

They’re too late. Steve turns toward the yacht. At first glance, nothing looks out of place and the expensive boat looks just like any other. But his gut tells him that, upon further investigation, they will find something.

“Get your CSU unit down here. See if they can find any DNA traces. We need to know who else was on that boat. Kevin Lloyd can’t have been alone.” The officer nods and motions for the man next to him to execute the order.

Steve thinks about their next steps. “Junior. You stay here and coordinate CSU and the local PD. Tani, Lou. We’ll pay a visit to the Lloyd’s vacation house. Something tells me that we will find Kevin there.” He can see that Junior is about to argue the decision, but he interrupts him as soon as the young man’s mouth opens. “Junior. I need you here. You’re a trained Navy SEAL. You have good eyes. I need those eyes here to make sure nothings missed. You understand?”

Reluctantly, Junior nods. Steve squeezes his shoulder and turns to face his other two teammates.

“I have the address of the house on my phone, “ Tani says, holding up the device. A car key is dangling from one of her fingers. “And I got us a car as well.”

Steve has no idea where she got the car from so fast, but he’s not questioning it. The faster they get to that house, find Kevin Lloyd and get a confession out of him, the better. He reaches for the keys and plucks them from her fingers. “I’m driving,” he announces. As he strides purposefully toward the blue Sedan that’s parked next to a police cruiser, he hears Tani and Lou fight over the passenger seat. He hides a smirk. Sometimes his carsickness comes in handy.

 

Danny twists and turns as he tries to find a position that allows him to close his eyes and relax for just a few minutes. Unfortunately, the discomfort in his lower back and abdomen won’t let him rest. He’s growing more frustrated with each minute he spends awake. Giving up he struggles into a sitting position, huffing out a breath, and slides over to the edge of the mattress.

Eddie, who’s been snoring by the foot of the bed, lifts his head and blinks owlishly. “At least one of us got some rest,” Danny mutters as he pushes to his feet.

A sharp pain shoots through his lower belly and Danny drops back down on the bed with a grunt. Grabbing his belly, he tries to breathe through the cramp-like ache. Eddie barks and jumps up. “I’m fine,” Danny grits out when the dog pokes him in the leg with his snout. He’s talking to a dog again, he realizes. But he couldn’t care less at the moment. The sudden pain is making him feel nauseous and he’s not sure if he wants to try to walk it off, or collapse back into bed and just ride it out. He’s had some bad cases of indigestion before.

The decision is taken out of his hands when the doorbell rings. Eddie perks up and his ears twitch. He looks back at Danny before he starts to growl quietly in his throat. Sighing, Danny waves him off. “Go. Make sure we’re not under attack. I’m right behind you.”

Eddie dashes out of the bedroom and down the stairs, barking. The Lab might be the sweetest, kindest dog there is, but he’s got an _enormous_ protective instinct. And ever since Danny’s become pregnant, Eddie has barely left his side. He’s even worse than Steve.

Danny heaves himself upright and winces. With one hand on his belly, he shuffles out of the room and down the stairs. He’s halfway down, when the doorbell rings again. “I’m coming!” He shouts. Eddie is still barking.

By the time Danny makes it to the door, the person on the other side pushes the doorbell for the third time. Danny is on the verge of exploding— literally and metaphorically. The pressure in his stomach makes him feel grumpy and irritable. That’s why when he rips the door open and snaps an aggravated, “ _What?_ ” Jerry takes a surprised step back.

“Is this a bad time?” Jerry asks, as he shifts from one foot to the other.

Danny blows out a calming breath and runs his hand through his hair. “No. It’s… It’s fine,” he says, forcing himself to get his temper back in check. No need to snap at his friends. “What can I do for you?”

Jerry holds up his right hand, presenting a brown paper bag. “I come bearing gifts”. The smell of cocoa puffs wafts toward Danny.

“Did Steve put you up to this?” Danny asks, eyes narrowed. He knows that Steve is always worried that he hasn’t been taking enough care of himself during the pregnancy, which is ridiculous. For all that Steve made fun of Danny about being a worrywart, Steve’s an even _bigger_ one.

Jerry looks like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck. “Uh… Maybe?” he stammers, avoiding Danny’s piercing eyes.

Too tired and achy to be on his feet much longer, Danny waves him inside. He shuffles over to the couch and sits down with a weary sigh. Jerry follows him and drops the paper bag on the coffee table. “Want one? I can get plates,” Jerry offers, already heading to the kitchen.

To Danny’s surprise, simply the thought of eating a cocoa puff makes him feel nauseous. Usually, he can’t get enough of the sugary pastry but, somehow, he doesn’t think he would be able to stomach even half of one right now. “No, thanks,” he tells Jerry, just as another twinge of pain twists his abdomen.

Jerry eyes him skeptically. Then his gaze travels lower and Danny realizes that he’s staring at where his hand is rubbing his belly. “Are you okay? You look uncomfortable,” Jerry points out.

For some unknown reason, that question manages to increase Danny’s annoyance to another level. He grits his teeth. “I am _fine_. Why does everyone keep asking me that? I am _pregnant_ , not hurt or an invalid! You try carrying around thirty extra pounds and see how comfortable _you_ are!”

By the end of his short, little outburst he’s breathless and Jerry just stares at him with wide eyes. Danny’s starting to sweat and he curses. “Goddamnit! Why won’t those fucking cramps just _stop_!” he hisses and groans when another tight ball of pain grips his insides.

Jerry cautiously shuffles closer, but stays just out of reach to avoid any physical contact. If he weren’t in so much pain, Danny would have laughed at Jerry’s uneasiness.

“Not that I know a lot about this specific thing, but…” Jerry shrugs. “It looks to me like you’re in labor.”

Danny’s head snaps up and he glares at Five-0’s self-proclaimed consultant. “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way I’m in...” His sentence gets cut off when another vicious cramp tears through his midsection. The pain only last a couple of seconds, but when the agony abates again, he’s covered in a fine sheen of sweat. “Shit…” he curses.

“Are you still convinced you’re not in labor?” Jerry dares to ask, and Danny would punch him if he could actually get up and walk the few steps it would take.

“It’s too early,” he gasps instead. “I’m not due for another four weeks.”

“I came early too. And I came out perfectly fine,” Jerry shrugs.

Danny looks up at the man who fiercely believes in aliens and all kinds of conspiracy theories. “That’s not very reassuring…” he mutters under his breath. He’s still not fully convinced that what he’s feeling are labor pains, but he’s not going to take a chance. “Can you take me to the hospital?” he asks Jerry as he hoists himself off the couch. Jerry nods, already heading to the door. The man suddenly seems nervous. “Wait,” Danny stops him. “Can you get my phone from upstairs? I need to call Steve. If he finds out I went to the hospital without telling him he’s going to freak out.”

As fast as possible, Jerry climbs the stairs. Danny watches him, trying to regulate his breathing. His heart is thumping rapidly inside his chest and he runs both hands over his belly. Looking down, he wonders if they will be able to welcome their daughter into the world a month sooner than expected. Either way, a trip to the hospital is in order.

 

“We just lost cell reception,” Tani remarks as they drive down a road eastern of Maui. They’ve been driving for about thirty minutes and the Lloyd’s vacation property is just another two miles down the same path. Steve checks the GPS, making sure they’re still going the right way. Cell reception can be spotty out here, so he’s not surprised about the _no service_ signal. Glancing in the rear mirror, Steve sees two police cruisers follow them. Although he’s not expecting any trouble, he doesn’t want to take a risk. Kevin Lloyd has already slipped through their fingers once today and he’s not about to let that happen again.

He slows the car down when the GPS lets him know that the destination is just around the corner, at the edge of Hanawi Natural Forest Reserve. He doesn’t want to make a big entrance with sirens and two police cars. Instead, he decides to approach the situation with more caution. “Get ready,” he tells Tani and Grover as he undoes his seatbelt and gets out of the car.

Steve joins the four police officers and pushes his earpiece more tightly into his ear. “I want you to stay back until I give you the signal to move in. I don’t want to spook Kevin Lloyd or anyone else inside that house.” The officers all nod in understanding. Although he’s never worked with these people before, Steve has a feeling that they will respect his orders.

Turning around to face his team, Steve briefs them. “We’re going to move in quietly. Use your weapons only when necessary. We don’t know what other people might be inside that mansion.”

Tani and Lou nod simultaneously and Steve knows they’re right behind him when he heads toward the large gate at the entrance of the property. He glances around, not seeing anything, before he rings the doorbell. It takes a while before the static, heavily accented voice of a woman comes over the intercom. _“Yes?”_

“This is Commander McGarrett with the Five-0 task force. Please open the gate,” he orders, hand on the butt of his gun.

 _“Uh, nobody home,”_ the voice replies, and Steve detects an underlying tone of fear in the woman’s speech.

“Ma’am, this is the police. Open the gate,” he commands again.

A second later, he is rewarded by a high-pitched beeping sound, before the gate slowly swings open. Purposefully, he strides toward the front door. Before he has even reached the beautifully carved wooden door, it opens and a tiny woman with black hair pokes her head out. Her features are drawn and she looks pale and sickly. Steve has a weird feeling about this.

“Nobody home,” the Asian woman repeats.

Steve is just about to respond, when he hears glass shatter inside the house. “Tani, stay with her,” he orders, before he pushes the door all the way open. The tiny woman is too shocked to protest, and just stumbles out of his way.

Steve rounds a corner, pointing his gun at three men who are sitting in the living room. Their clothes are covered in blood. Out of the corners of his eyes, he sees movement.

“Lloyd’s running!” Lou shouts.

Without hesitating, Steve gives chase, bursting through the double doors that lead out to the lanai. Lloyd is nimble as he jumps over a fence and continues to scrambles up a wall. Gritting his teeth, Steve pushes himself harder. He is _not_ going to lose him.

With adrenaline coursing through his body, Steve follows Lloyd into the dense vegetation of the natural reserve.

 

Danny feels like he’s going to puke. He’s had his fair share of gunshot and stab wounds, not to mention various encounters with poison and bombs. But nothing, _nothing_ , could prepare him for the pain of childbirth. Gritting his teeth, he rides out another painful cramp. By now, he’s pretty sure that he’s indeed dealing with contractions. And not those Braxton Hicks contractions his doctor warning him about. This is the _real deal_.

“You’re doing great, Detective,” a nurse reassures him, while she slips a blood pressure cuff around his upper arm. “Just keep breathing. The doctor will be right with you.”

“I’m going to _kill_ Steve,” he puffs. “I’m going to kill him for doing this to me. Slowly and painfully. And even then he’s only going to feel a _friction_ of the pain I’m feeling.”

His eyes snap over to Jerry who, _somehow_ , ended up in the examination room with him and is now standing in a corner, looking lost and a slightly disturbed. But Danny’s in too much pain to ask the guy what he’s planning on doing here, so instead he just glares at his phone, which Jerry is currently clutching in his large hands. “Did he pick up?” he grits out, bracing himself for another contraction.

Jerry jumps when he’s addressed directly and almost drops the phone. He fumbles with it, checks the display and then shakes his head. “Negative. He didn’t call back. Still only voicemail.”

Danny claws at the thin paper that covers the gurney he’s lying on. “Then call him _again_ ,” he snaps.

He is aware that he’s being an asshole, but he can’t help it. Hell, he’s pretty sure he’s _entitled_ to be a bit of an asshole. He’s about to bring another human being into this world. And besides being in pure agony and being furious about his husband’s inability to pick up a freaking phone, he’s also _scared_. Because while he wants to punch Steve for not being here, he also wants him to hold his hand and tell him that everything is going to be okay. So, yeah, he needs his stupid, idiotic and reckless partner _with him_. Because he’s not sure he can do this alone.

With bated breath, Danny waits for Jerry to hold the phone to his ear, and his face falls when Jerry shakes his head. Voicemail. _Again_. Danny wants to cry and scream at the same time.

 

Steve dodges branches and trees as he runs after Kevin Lloyd. The guy must do some kind of endurance sport, because he’s fast and Steve has to push himself to keep up. He curses when the material of his shirt gets caught on a branch and rips.

“Kevin Lloyd, Five-0! Freeze!” he yells. He wants to try and take a shot and just _make_ the man stop, but between running and avoiding the trees, he’s quite sure he won’t be able to get a clean shot.

One second, Lloyd is just a few yards ahead of him, and in the next he’s gone. Coming to a halt, Steve spins in a circle, cautious and on high alert. Listening to the sound of the forest, he tries to make out anything that doesn’t belong. He blocks out the rustling of the leaves and chirping of the birds. He _can’t_ have lost him.

Steve is just about to radio for backup when a shot rings out. Ducking, he crouches behind a large rock. Risking a look around the rock, he sees the glint of weapon. He hadn’t realized Lloyd was armed. “Kevin Lloyd! Drop the weapon!”

The answer to Steve’s demand is more shots, and he hunkers back down with a curse. This just turned from shitty to worse – and he’s _done_ with it.

Pushing back to his feet, Steve puts his SEAL training to good use as he melts into the rain forest. Watching every step he takes, he avoids making any noise, circling round to Lloyd’s hiding place. Adrenaline courses through his veins when he lays eyes on the guy, who’s pressed against a large tree. Readying his weapon, he walks closer until he’s just a few feet away from his target. Lloyd is still oblivious as he looks around, nervous and wide-eyed with the gun clutched in trembling hands.

“Drop the weapon,” Steve growls, and Lloyd jumps. Steve sees the tightening of the guy’s trigger finger as he spins around. Instantly, Steve lunges forward and tackles him to the ground. Two rapid shots bark out of Lloyd gun, and Steve flinches when one of the bullets misses his left ear by only a mere inch.

They trade punches, and in addition to practicing endurance sports, Lloyd also seems to have some basic training in material arts. The guy gets in some good hits to Steve’s jaw and side. Steve grimaces when he takes a particularly hard punch to the ribs.

In the end, Lloyd is no match for a former Navy SEAL. With a swift move, Steve twists the gun out of the man’s hands and tosses it away, out of his reach. Then, he flips him over and pins his hands behind his back. When Lloyd keeps struggling, Steve increases the pressure, just enough so that if Lloyd continues to resist his shoulder will dislocate. Finally, the struggling ceases.

Steve is just pulling a pair of handcuffs from one of his many pockets, when he hears Tani shout his name. “Over here!” he yells back, getting to his feet when Lloyd is effectively trussed up like a turkey. He wipes sweat off his brow and picks up both their guns just as Tani, followed by Lou, bursts through the undergrowth.

“Looks like you’ve got everything under control here,” Lou grins, nodding at the guy on the ground.

Steve bends down and hoists Lloyd to his feet. Mud is smudging the right side of his face and Steve grins with satisfaction when Lloyd spits out a mouthful of dirt.

“Police have got everyone else in custody,” Lou reports, anticipating Steve’s next question. “We need to find out what they know and how involved they were. But, judging by the blood on their clothes, they were definitely in contact with the body. We also found something interesting inside the house.”

“Noelani said that April was hit in the head with something,” Tani continues. “And we found a paperweight with blood on it in the living room. And it looks like there are several fingerprints on it.”

Steve connects the dots. “So they killed April together,” he concludes.

“Seems that way,” Tani agrees.

Exhaling, Steve gives Kevin Lloyd a shove from behind. The guy’s been stubbornly quiet. “Let’s go back to the house and get everyone down to the police station. I want to know exactly what happened on that yacht.”

“We didn’t kill no one,” Lloyd snaps.

Steve grips the back of his shirt and pushes him to walk. “We’ll see about that,” he growls, ignoring the pulsing ache in his side.

 

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Danny keeps repeating the same mantra over and over in his head. His doctor— who had finally arrived after Danny had threatened to give himself an epidural— gave him something for the pain. It doesn’t completely mute the constant pulling and cramping sensation in his abdomen, but it definitely makes the contractions more bearable.

Now alone in his hospital room, Danny lays on his side with his phone clutched in his hand. He’s tried to reach Steve at least a dozen times, but neither he nor any of their teammates have picked up. Danny tries not to worry. He knows how spotty reception can be on Maui.

Nonetheless, worrying is part of his nature, which is why he sent Jerry back to headquarters with the order to contact the local police department, which then is to throw Steve’s ass on a plane and send him back to Oahu. Preferably dropping him off right at the hospital. Because while the contractions aren’t all that regular yet, he knows that it will only be a matter of time before his doctor comes back to discuss the C-section with him. And there’s no way in _hell_ Danny is going to give birth to their daughter without his husband there.

Heaving out a breath, Danny shifts his focus from the clock he’s been staring at for the last thirty minutes to the contraction monitor sensor and fetal heart rate sensor which are both wrapped around his belly. They keep telling him that everything looks good. That there is nothing to worry about.

But, the fact is he’s 41 years old and about to have surgery. It might be a routine procedure, but there’s always the possibility of something going wrong. And Danny would feel a lot better about all of it if Steve were here with him. There’s just something about his husband’s sometimes obnoxious and annoying presence that calms him down, makes him feel safe and protected. And that’s exactly what he needs right now.

Danny is just about to call his wayward husband again, when there’s a knock on the door and Doctor Keawe enters. “Danny, how are you doing?” he asks as he disinfects his hands and takes a look at the monitors and recordings.

“I’m okay,” Danny says and tries not to wince when he feels another contraction approaching. It’s stupid, of course, because he knows that Doctor Keawe is able to see the oncoming contractions on the contraction monitor. Despite that, he tries to hold in the grunt of pain that wants to push past his lips, because he doesn’t want the doctor to speed the process of delivering the baby up.

“Everything looks good so far,” Doctor Keawe says as he takes a closer look at Danny’s vitals. “If you keep progressing like that, your daughter will be here within the next hour or two.”

Danny starts to panic. “No!” he says, much louder than intended. The doctor looks at him with an odd expression and Danny blushes. “Sorry. It’s not that I’m not excited about meeting my daughter, but we need to wait until my husband is here. I’m not going to do this without him.”

 _I can’t_.

The doctor purses his lips and his eyes wander to the unoccupied chair next to the hospital bed. “So where is the Commander?”

Danny scrunches up his face and mumbles the reply under his breath.

Doctor Keawe cranes his neck. “Excuse me, I didn’t quite catch that.”

“Maui. He’s on _Maui_ ,” Danny repeats.

Doctor Keawe’s brown eyes widen. “ _Maui_? Danny, it will take _hours_ for him to arrive. We cannot wait that long.”

Danny grits his teeth. “We _have_ to,” he grunts.

The doctor sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. “Ninety minutes. If he’s not here by then, I will have to insist on going ahead with the C-section without him.”

“He’ll be here,” Danny replies, reaching for his phone again to punch in his husband’s number. He’s going to freaking _strangle_ him!

 

The wearing days seem to finally catch up with Steve. Heaving himself tiredly behind the wheel of their borrowed car, he winces when his left side twinges painfully. Lloyd really did manage to land a couple of good hits. Now everything has calmed down he’s pretty sure one of his ribs is cracked.

Waiting for Tani and Lou to get in the car, he watches a couple of police officers wrangle Kevin Lloyd and his friends into police cars. Rubbing a hand down his face, Steve tries to brush off the weariness that is seeping into his bones. As soon as this is over, he wants to sleep for twenty-four hours straight. At _least_. Preferably curled around Danny, he thinks, a smile tugging at his lips.

When the passenger door opens, he’s pulled out of his thoughts. Tani retakes her place in the seat next to him and Lou grouchily gets in the backseat again. Steve thinks he hears him mutter about having to sit in the backseat like a giant pretzel, with his knees up around his ears. Steve smirks and starts the engine.

They head for the local police station, where they’re going to interrogate everyone who was on the yacht. The sooner they get a confession out of the group, the sooner they can all go home.

They've been driving for five minutes when suddenly all their phones start to beep and ring and vibrate at the same time, signaling they’ve driven into an area with good reception. Letting go of the steering wheel with one hand, Steve reaches into the pocket of his pants with his other to get out his cell. Glancing at the screen, an uneasy feeling settles in the pit of his stomach: there are numerous missed calls and messages from Danny and Jerry.

 

"Danny tried to call me a bunch of times," Tani says, frowning.

"Me too," Lou adds, causing the knot in Steve's gut to tighten into a painful ball of anxiety. Something is up. He can feel it.

The phone Steve's clutching in his right hand starts to ring anew. When he sees his husband's grinning face on the display, he doesn't hesitate a single second to answer. "Danny?"

 _"I'm going to fucking_ kill _you!"_ Danny snaps. Beneath the obvious anger, Steve can hear an underlying tone of pain in his partner's voice. Concern tightens his gut.

“Danny, what’s going on? Are you okay?” he asks, then kicks himself because it’s obvious something is wrong.

 _“No! I’m_ not _okay!”_ Danny snaps, followed by a pitiful groan. _“I’m in freaking labor!”_ he adds on a wheeze.

Steve sucks in an audible breath and almost runs their car off the road. Tani shrieks, Lou shouts and Steve’s heart skips a beat. He gains back control over the vehicle as he struggles to process the words, his head spinning.

“What? You’re _what_?” he asks dumbly, blinking to clear the fog from his brain. This can’t be happening. He must have misunderstood.

 _“I’m in labor, you hearing impaired Neanderthal!”_ Danny pants. _“And it fucking_ hurts _!”_

Steve’s mouth falls open. For the first time in his life he’s completely frozen, unable to comprehend or understand anything. He blinks slowly, staring straight ahead— still driving— and with the phone still pressed to his ear. He doesn’t know _what to do_.

Lou leans forward between the two seats and squeezes Steve’s shoulder. “Everything alright, man?”

The physical contact pulls Steve out of his daze and he shakes himself. “Yeah. I mean, no. I don’t know…” he mutters. “Danny’s in labor.”

There’s a huff of annoyance from Danny. _“Let me talk to Lou. I can’t talk to you like that right now.”_

Wordlessly, Steve hands the phone to Grover. Wrapping both his shaking hands around the steering wheel again, he tries to concentrate on getting them home safely. He still can’t wrap his head around the fact that Danny’s in labor. He _can’t_ be! It’s too early! Suddenly, panic grips Steve’s stomach to the point of actual pain. What if there are complications? What if something goes wrong? And he’s not even on the same island! He swallows thickly and tries to focus on the conversation Lou is having with Danny.

“Don’t worry, man, I’ll personally make sure Super SEAL makes it to the hospital in time,” he hears Lou promise and the reality of the situation finally inks in.

He’s going to be a dad. Today. _Now_! He suddenly feels a little sick.

“Okay, enough. Stop the car,” Tani suddenly says. “You’re obviously in shock. And I don’t want to die when you wrap this car around a tree.”

Steve takes a deep breath. She’s right. He needs to get a grip. “You sound just like Danny,” he grunts. “And I’m good to drive. I’m fine.”

Lou clasps his shoulder again. “Sure you are. Anyway, you’re going to have to drive us back to the harbor. Danny’s C-section will be in less than two hours and if you don’t want to miss that, you need to hurry.”

“Less than two hours?” Steve repeats, stunned.

“Yes,” Lou says. “You’ll have to hurry. Tani, Junior and I, we got the situation here under control.”

“Okay,” Steve turns the car toward the harbor. He hears Tani make a call to the local police, informing them of their change in plans. Slowly but surely, the shock abates and is replaced by excitement. In just a couple of hours, he’ll get to hold his daughter in his arms. He smiles and speeds up just the tiniest bit. He needs to be by Danny’s side.

 

Danny grips the bed rails so tightly that his knuckles turn stark white. Gritting his teeth, he tries to ride out the agonizing contractions that rip through his abdomen. The epidural had helped a bit in the beginning, but now the pain is almost as bad as before again. He arches his back a bit, willing the pain to subside again.

“We need to prep your for surgery now, Danny,” Doctor Keawe says the second he walks in the room. He checks the monitors and shakes his head.

“We can’t,” Danny insists stubbornly. “Steve’s not here yet.”

The doctor sighs. “Danny. If we wait any longer, we’re putting not only you but also the baby at risk. I can’t do that. And I know that you don’t want that either.”

Danny bites his lip. _Of course_ he doesn’t want that. He would _never_ risk his daughter’s life. But he knows how excited Steve was about the idea of being in the delivery room and seeing their baby take her first real breath.

“He’ll be here soon. I just talked to him,” Danny says and slumps back against the pillows. The latest contraction is over, leaving him completely exhausted.

Doctor Keawe walks over to the bed and gently palpates Danny’s belly. He checks the contraction monitor and fetal heart rate sensor. “I’m sorry, Danny. But we don’t have a choice. I’ll send a nurse in to prepare you for the C-section.”

Defeated, Danny closes his eyes. He can’t argue with the doctor. Not only because he doesn’t want to put his daughter’s life at risk, but also because he doesn’t know how long his body will endure the pain.

He puts a hand on his stomach. “I love you,” he tells his daughter, “but you have _horrible_ timing…”

 

The helicopter shudders when another gust of wind shoves it sideways. Steve braces himself and wraps an arm around his middle when a stab of pain reminds him of the possibly cracked rib. The pilot had warned him about potential turbulence but Steve didn’t have a choice. He needs to get back to Oahu in the fastest way possible.

“Buckle up, Commander. This next patch is going to be a bit rough,” the pilot informs as he flips some switches and tightens his hold on the control stick.

The strong winds intensify and they get thrown around the cockpit of the helicopter like ragdolls. Steve clutches the handle above his head and grits his teeth when wave after wave of burning hot agony stabs at his side. By the time they clear the worst of the storm, there’s just enough time for him to grab one of the sick bags before he gets violently ill.

The pilot looks at him with concern. “Are you alright, Commander?”

Steve coughs and spits into the bag before sealing it tightly. He’s embarrassed. He’s never gotten sick in a helicopter or plane before, not even during storms. He wipes the back of his hand across his sweaty and clammy brow.

“I’m fine,” he replies and reaches for the water bottle in the pocket next to him. He takes a few sips and tries to get rid of the foul taste in his mouth.

“We’re almost on Oahu,” the pilot lets him know.

Steve nods wordlessly. Letting his head drop against the headrest, he closes his eyes. His hands are shaking, so he curls them into tight fists. Maybe Danny was right about him needing to reduce his stress levels because this current situation is definitely too much for him. A tough case, no sleep, injured ribs, a husband who’s unexpectedly in labor, a turbulent flight; all of those things contribute to the lingering nausea and the pounding headache in his skull.

His hand inches toward the sick bags again, because he’s not sure if he’s done using them…

 

Danny stares at the ceiling of the preparation room. Just a few more minutes and he’s going to be wheeled into surgery to deliver his daughter. Without Steve. Because there’s _no way in hell_ that his husband is going to make it in time. Anger, disappointment and fear all crash over Danny at once and he feels himself tear up. Damned hormones!

“It’s going to be okay, Detective,” one of the nurses says. She puts her small hand on his shoulder and smiles down at him. “We’ll take real good care of you and your baby. Don’t worry.”

He nods quietly, doesn’t trust himself to open his mouth, too afraid he’s going to burst into tears.

“Not long now,” she says as she inserts something into his IV. “Just relax.”

Danny wants to scream.

 

They’re almost back on Oahu when a loud bang shakes the helicopter and makes it tilt to the side. An alarm start to blare and the smell of burning rubber reaches Steve’s nostrils. He jerks out of the doze he must have fallen into and blinks frantically.

“What was that?” he asks, voice hoarse, and pushes himself more upright in the seat.

The pilot’s face is contoured with tension. “We got struck by a lightning.”

Steve leans forward to help the desperate pilot stabilize the tilting helicopter. Adrenaline spreads through his body like fire. He’s been in situations like this before and he knows they’ve only got a few precious seconds before they’re in serious trouble.

“Shit, we’ve lost the electrics, ” the pilot exclaims as he uselessly tries to push buttons and flip some switches.

Steve tries to activate the emergency settings, but even they are out. He curses under his breath. It’s only a matter of time now before the rotor blades will stop working as well.

“We gotta land this thing. _Now_!” he shouts over the blaring of dozens of alarms. Gripping the controller with both hands, he steers them toward the shore of Sandy Beach he can see in the distance as the pilot radios for help.

A minute later, another alarm goes off and the helicopter shudders before dropping down a few feet. “The blades are failing!” the pilot yells in panic.

“We’ll make it!” Steve grunts, because they _have_ to. He’s not going to leave this Earth without meeting his daughter. He’s going to be there when she’s born, even if it’s the last thing he does.

 

The medication that is running through Danny’s body is making him more relaxed. He’s still staring at the ceiling and occasionally glances toward the clock that hangs on the wall above the large double door. The ninety minutes he was given are almost up and when Doctor Keawe returns, he knows that there’s no way he can stall the C-section any longer.

Danny blows out a heavy breath and reaches for his phone. He checks if he’s received any messages from his husband and his heart falls when there’s nothing. According to the calculations on his head, Steve should have landed by now. In fact, he should burst through those doors any second now. Probably completely out of breath and still wearing his bulletproof vest and other gear.

The thought makes Danny chuckle, but he winces when he feels another contraction built low in his abdomen. His daughter is squirming restlessly in his belly, obviously eager to get out. Danny shifts a bit in bed, mindful of the IV and other machines and monitors he’s connected to, and hopes that Steve will make it in time.

 

The helicopter’s descent is anything but controlled. Steve and the pilot try to stabilize it together, but the damage is too severe to gain back full control over the machine. With gritted teeth, Steve steers the bird to a patch of beach that’s void of people. The last thing he wants to do is put innocent lives at risk. Sweat is pouring down his face and when the helicopter finally touches the ground with a violent jolt, both passengers get thrown forward.

There’s loud noise of crunching metal and Steve’s head collides painfully with the gages on the control panel. For a second, his vision turns black before the sharp, familiar pain in his side catapults him back to full awareness with a gasp. Gingerly righting himself, he braces a hand against his side and carefully touches his head. He can already feel a large bruise forming on his forehead.

The pilot groans and Steve turns his head to look at the man. Shocked, he discovers that the impact crushed in the front of the helicopter on thepilot’s side. “Can you move your legs?” Steve asks, voice raspy, as he unbuckles his seatbelt. He scrambles closer to the man, trying to assess the damage.

“I-I’m stuck,” the pilot grunts. He tries to pull his legs free, but ends up screaming.

Steve puts a hand on the man’s shoulder and tries to catch his eyes. “It’s going to be okay. I’m sure someone has called for help already.”

Not a minute later, the sound of sirens can be heard and Steve blows out a breath of relief. Cautiously, he pushes the door on his side open and slides out. When his feet touch the sandy ground, he grits his teeth against a stab of pain that first shoots through his head and then through his side. When this is over, he needs some ice and a handful of Tylenol.

“Commander!”

Steve turns at the shout and sees four police officers run toward the crashed helicopter. He recognizes them and is relieved to see how fast help has arrived. In the distance, he can also see an ambulance speeding their way.

“Commander, are you alright?” The first officer asks as he takes in the damage. Steve scrubs a hand down his face, not surprised when it comes away bloody. Must be the head wound.

“I’m fine. But the pilot is stuck,” he explains, jerking his head over his shoulder to the cockpit where the other officers are already getting to work. Steve then holds out his hand. “I need your car keys,” he demands.

The officer blinks. “Excuse me?”

“I need to go to the hospital _ASAP_ ,” he snaps and the man flinches.

“The ambulance is just a few minutes out, if—“

“I need to go _now_ ,” Steve interrupts him. “Give me the keys.”

Without another word, the officer hands over the keys to the police cruiser. Apparently, Steve’s reputation precedes him because there’s no further resistance on the cop’s part. Right now Steve’s very happy to be known as the guy that doesn’t take no for answer, that it’s better to just give him what he asks for right away.

“Thanks,” he mutters before he jogs up the beach and runs toward the parked police cars on the side of the road.

He’s busy concentrating on finding the right police cruiser so he doesn’t hear the officers' shocked gasps when they discover a large puddle of blood on the upholster of the seat he had occupied just minutes before.

 

"Are you ready, Detective Williams?"

Danny swallows past the lump in his throat. There haven't been many situations in his life where he's been truly scared. When Grace was kidnapped was one of them, and when Steve got shot and almost bled out next to him in the cockpit of a Cessna aircraft.

The current situation, being wheeled into the OR to deliver a baby— alone— terrifies him almost as much. Despite the medication he’s been given to calm him down, his heart is beating wildly and he feels nauseous with nervousness. He squeezes his eyes shut. The nurse who's walking alongside his gurney puts a hand on his shoulder to offer some comfort.

“This is where I need your phone, Danny,” Doctor Keawe says and holds out his hand.

Danny takes one last look at the display, which is devoid of any messages or calls from his husband, and reluctantly hands it over to his doctor. The man nods and passes it on to the nurse. “I’ll take good care of it,” she promises.

Danny doesn’t reply. He closes his eyes again and forces himself to remain calm as he’s rolled into the operating room. A handful of nurses are already geared up in scrubs and hairnets, ready to assist.

Doctor Keawe squeezes Danny’s shoulder to get his attention. “I’ll change and then I’ll be back. Just take deep and even breaths. You will be prepared for the procedure now.”

Danny knows all of this. They’ve gone over it at least ten times now. At every doctor’s visit, Doctor Keawe had talked about the C-section, giving him tips on how to prepare himself. Danny can still remember the horrified look on Steve’s face when he first saw real-life pictures of the surgery. For a minute, Danny expected his badass Navy SEAL husband to faint.

“Are you ready, Danny? You’re going to receive your anesthesia now,” a friendly nurse announces. A mask is covering her face and only her eyes are visible to Danny.

Danny clears his throat. “Yeah.”

She nods and Danny feels himself gently being turned over onto his side. Cold air touches his exposed back and he flinches when a sharp needle is inserted into his spine. A flush of cold rushes down his hips and into both legs and before long, he’s lost all feeling in his lower extremities. He glances down at his stomach. This is going to be the last time he’ll see it like that. It’s a weird feeling.

Then, a light blue sheet is pulled up and blocks his view.

A minute or so later, Doctor Keawe returns. He smiles at Danny. “We’re going to make the first incision now, Danny,” he states and Danny readies himself. Not long now and he’s going to hold his daughter in his arms. As devastated as he is about Steve’s absence, he’s excited to meet his baby girl after nine months. Doctor Keawe gives him one last encouraging smile, before he tugs his surgical mask over his mouth and nose.

Danny closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

Suddenly, there’s commotion just outside the room. Danny cracks his eyes back open and rolls his head toward the large double door that leads into the operating room. His heart skips a beat when he recognizes the tall figure bursting through the door.

“Steve!” Relief crashes over Danny like a gigantic wave and he finds himself on the verge of laughing and crying at the same time. The emotional roller coaster he’s been on all day has just reached another peak.

Steve, wearing a pair of ugly, mint colored scrubs, which were sloppily thrown over his regular clothes, and an unfashionable looking hairnet, almost stumbles over his own two feet in his hurry to make it to Danny’s side. He’s out of breath and there’s sweat dotting his forehead and neck. But what Danny’s focus is instantly drawn to is the swollen lump on his husband’s forehead.

“Where the hell have you been you _animal_?!” He lifts his hand and gingerly touches the bruise and dried blood. “And what _happened_ to you?!”

Smiling, Steve catches Danny’s hand in his and smiles. “Don’t worry about it. I think we’ve got other things to focus on at the moment.”

It’s then that Danny notices all the people looking at them. Some seem confused, others surprised and Doctor Keawe is just shaking his head with an amused look in his eyes. “If you two are done, I think we should deliver that baby now.”

Danny looks at Steve again. “We’re going to take about this.” Then he smiles. Now is not the time to get worked up about Steve’s delay. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Steve replies and squeezes Danny’s hand.

Everything happens incredibly fast then. Danny feels some tugging and hears Steve mutter words of encouragement in his ear. He’s not sure what’s even happening until he hears the most wonderful noise on Earth.

A scream. A High-pitched, shrill and unbelievably loud scream.

“She’s got your voice,” Steve chokes out a laugh, and when Danny looks up at his husband, he sees an expression of pure awe and love. He’s never seen anything like it on Steve’s face, but it makes him love the man even more.

“Commander, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?” Doctor Keawe asks, holding out a pair of sterilized scissors. Steve grabs them with trembling hands and disappears behind the blue curtain.

Danny can’t see anything until a nurse walks around the blue sheet with a light pink blanket. The blanket is moving slightly and Danny sees a teeny tiny hand poke out. The skin is bright pink and the little fingers look like tiny raisins. It’s the most beautiful thing he’s seen since Grace and Charlie were born.

The nurse who holds their daughter smiles. “Congratulations,” she says as she gently hands the baby over to Steve, who’s back at Danny’s side.

Steve holds her like she’s the most fragile and delicate thing he’s ever held in his hands. Danny’s seen him handle bombs with less care.

“Danny…” he breathes. “She’s perfect…”

“Babe, I can’t _see_ her,” Danny protests with a laugh. He latches onto Steve’s scrubs and tugs him closer. “Let me see our girl.”

Steve bends down and shifts the tiny bundle in his arms. A surge of powerful emotions hit Danny right in the heart when he lays eyes on his daughter for the first time. Despite just being born, her bright blue eyes are wide open. She looks a lot like Charlie did when he was born, but the dark hair is definitely from Steve. “She’s beautiful…”

“We’re going to take her for her first tests now,” the nurse announces and Danny can see the brief look of panic on his husband’s face. So does the nurse, apparently. “Don’t worry, Commander. They are just basic tests we do with all newborns. You are welcome to come with us, if you’d like.”

Steve relaxes, inch by inch, then carefully transfers their daughter back into the nurse’s arms. Then he looks back at Danny, and Danny sees that he’s torn between going with their baby girl and staying by his husband’s side.

“Go,” Danny waves him off. “I’m just gonna get my insides stitched back together. You go take care of our daughter.”

Steve smiles. Before he leaves, he bends down and gives Danny a gentle kiss. “I love you,” he whispers.

Smiling, Danny bumps his noise against Steve’s. They did it. They really did it. They’re parents. “I love you too, you animal,” he replies softly.

A lopsided grin pulls the corner of Steve’s mouth upwards. Then, he pulls back and follows the nurse to the double doors that lead out of the OR. With a tired but happy smile, Danny watches his little family leave.

But then an uneasy feeling stirs in Danny’s gut when Steve’s suddenly stops walking halfway to the door and grabs onto a nearby table that holds surgical instruments. The nurse has already left with their daughter, leaving Steve stranded in the middle of the operating room.

He sways.

“Steve?”

Steve doesn’t react. Danny notices a subtle tremble in his husband’s hands.

Steve’s legs buckle suddenly, sending both him and the cart to the ground with a loud clattering noise.

“Steve!” Danny tries to sit up, tries to get to Steve. But the strong anesthesia that was injected in his back keeps him from as much as lifting his upper body off the gurney. He swallows past the choking lump in his throat as he watches a nurse hastily kneel down next to his husband. Doctor Keawe is shouting something in the background, but the rushing in Danny’s ears is too loud to understanding anything.

With growing anxiety, he watches as first one and then another person rush into the room. Gone is the calm atmosphere from before. Instead, the air is charged with a sense of urgency. One of the male nurses lifts his hands off Steve’s body and Danny’s heart sinks when he sees the blood that’s covering his skin.

_“He’s bleeding. Looks like a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen.”_

The words slam into Danny like a train and he gasps for breath. Shot. Steve’s been _shot_. How? When?

He starts fighting against the anesthesia again. Panting, he attempts to elbow himself into a sitting position. _Steve_. He needs to get to Steve.

“Danny, stay calm,” Doctor Keawe’s voice reaches him and he whips his head around. The doctor is looking down at him with concern.

“Steve. I need to… What’s happening?” Danny stammers, suddenly unable to see anything when people lean over Steve, blocking his view from his husband. “Steve!”

“Your husband is injured, Danny. But you need to remain calm, do you understand? We will take care of Steve. I promise. But I need you to stay _calm_.”

Danny hears the words. He hears them and he understands them. However, he can’t squash the flaring panic that engulfs his entire body and soul. Steve’s hurt. He’s bleeding and Danny is utterly helpless. There’s nothing he can do.

“Danny. Slow down your breathing. Danny!”

The doctor’s voice is getting more muffled by the second and Danny struggles to suck in a proper breath. An oxygen mask appears out of nowhere and gets strapped over his nose and mouth.

With growing horror, he watches as the three orderlies load Steve on a gurney and rush him outside. The only thing that remains are bloody smears on the otherwise pristine linoleum floor.

 

Steve had known that something was wrong when he exited the borrowed police car in front of the hospital and his legs almost folded underneath him. And it was _more_ than just his nerves.

He felt sick to his stomach, dizzy and the hot poker that kept stabbing him in the side was getting worse. He was already halfway through the glass sliding doors of Tripler when a tiny voice in the back of his mind started whispering that, _maybe_ , he wasn’t just dealing with a cracked or broken rib. That, _maybe_ , his injury is a bit worse than he’d thought.

But he hadn’t had time to think about it. Because a nurse ushered him into a room, tossed a pair of scrubs at him and then shooed him down a hallway to the operating room. Everything had happened so fast, his head was spinning.

Then there was Danny, and Steve forgot about his injury again. Whatever it was, he would be dealing with it later— after he’d made sure his husband and daughter were doing fine.

And he almost made it. He was halfway to the door when a head rush caught him off guard. Staggering, he latched onto the closest thing, desperately trying to stay on his feet. The pain in his gut skyrocketed and he felt bile rise in his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force away the black, tardy fog that was wrapping around his brain like a thick blanket. He thought he’d heard Danny yell his name, but he wasn’t sure.

Then his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor. He attempted to brace himself, but his arms were weak and didn’t hold him up. Helplessly, he fell on his side, vision starting to dim.

There were people around him all of a sudden. Rolling him over, touching his neck, his face, his body. A flare of pure agony ripped through him when someone’s hand brushed against his side. He tried to twist away, but the countless hands held him firmly in place.

_“He’s bleeding. Looks like a gunshot wound in the lower abdomen.”_

The stranger’s voice drifted into his waning consciousness and the last thing he heard was Danny’s anguished voice before blackness engulfed him.

He let go then. Because he’d promised to Danny and himself to be there for the birth. And he’d done it. He’d seen his beautiful, perfect little girl being born.

With a smile on his lips, he’d let go.

 

Danny stares at his sleeping daughter in the little bassinette next to his bed. The nurses dressed her in a cute pink onesie and her brown hair is tousled and standing up in unkempt curls. The pacifier in her mouth is almost the same size as her tiny head. Sleeping, sprawled on her back, she reminds Danny a lot of Steve.

A pang goes through Danny’s chest and he squeezes his eyes shut. Laying on his side, the stitched incision hurts a lot worse, but the pain is grounding. And grounding is what Danny needs right now. It’s been over two hours since they whisked Steve out of his OR and into a different one.

Since then, Danny hasn’t seen him. After getting the C-section incision taken care off, Danny was brought back to his room. He had tried to get information about Steve, but no one knew anything beyond the reason for his collapse— a gunshot wound. Doctor Keawe had promised to try and find something out, but he’s yet to return. With each passing minute, Danny gets more distressed and worried.

Someone knocks and Danny shifts his attention from his daughter to the door. He hopes it’s Doctor Keawe with an update on Steve’s condition, but he assumes it’s just another nurse checking on either him or the baby. It turns out it’s neither.

“Danny. We came as fast as we could,” Lou says as he walks through the door, followed by Tani and Junior. They all look tired and upset.

Danny clears his throat. “It’s good to see you, guys,” he says, attempting to push himself more upright in bed. It pulls at his freshly stitched wound and he winces.

“Danny, hey. Take it easy,” Lou warns as he rushes forward to help. He grabs the remote and hands it over to Danny.

“Thanks,” Danny pants, fingers fumbling with the buttons. He manages to adjust the headrest enough so he can see his friends but not hurt himself. “Have you heard anything about Steve?”

Lou shakes his head. “No, nothing. Listen, man. If we had known about—“

“It’s not your fault,” Danny interrupts him. He looks each of them in the eyes to make sure they understand. He doesn’t want them blaming themselves. “Steve is stubborn. He probably ignored his injuries until they caught up with him.”

“Lloyd must have hit him when they were in the forest. But he was wearing a black shirt and didn’t say anything about being hurt,” Tani explains, looking upset.

An unexpected wave of anger toward the man who dared to hurt his husband crashes over Danny and he grits his teeth. “I hope you arrested the asshole.”

Lou nods. “We did. Lloyd and his buddies confessed everything. They were doing some pretty heavy, illegal drugs on the yacht that night and April threatened to go to the police. Kevin Lloyd killed her and his friends helped him dump the body overboard,” he explains, and Danny can see the anger that flares in the man’s eyes again. They both have daughters, he understands how Lou feels.

“Not even his father’s expensive lawyers can get them out of this one,” Junior adds. “They’re going to go to jail for a long time.”

Tani sits down on the hospital bed next to Danny. “Not to mention the woman that worked at the mansion on Maui. They kept her against her will and made her work 24/7. Which means that we have another thing we can pin on Christian Lloyd. Maybe we’ll finally get him on those human trafficking charges. This family is going _down_.”

Five-0 has solved another case and brought justice to the people that deserve it. Danny is happy about that. He really is. But his mind is preoccupied by his husband. He runs a hand through his hair and looks back to the door, praying for Doctor Keawe to finally return.

As if she feels the tension in the room, the baby starts to mewl. She’s kicking her tiny legs and her face is screwed up. Danny can tell that she’s about to start crying. “Can someone give me a hand here, please?”

Junior, who’s standing closest to the bassinette looks horrified and takes a step back. “I, uh. I’m not really good with babies,” he stammers. He’s looking down at the tiny baby with a look of dread on his face.

Danny rolls his eyes. “Just pick her up. You’re not going to break her.”

Reluctantly, Junior inches closer to the bassinette and peers inside. Tani hides a smirk as he carefully reaches for the wiggling baby and picks her up.

“Support her head, Junior,” Lou tells him and they all watch the young man adjust his hold. As soon as he’s got her in his arms, he shuffles over to the bed.

“She’s adorable,” he mutters, sounding a bit tense, as he hands the small bundle over to Danny.

Tani leans in and brushes her index finger over the baby’s rosy cheek. “She looks a lot like Steve.”

Danny smiles and lays his daughter down on his chest. She instantly calms down and falls back asleep. “She does look like Steve,” he confirms and kisses the top of her head of brown hair.

“He’s going to be fine, Danny,” Lou says quietly. “He’s strong.”

Swallowing back the swell of emotions those words are accompanied with, Danny nods. “Yeah.” He’s not sure he believes Lou’s words, though. They didn’t see Steve collapse. Didn’t see him surrounded by nurses and other medical personal. Didn’t see the blood that was left behind on the floor of the OR.

There’s another knock on the door. Everyone’s heads turn and Danny’s heart starts pounding in his chest when he sees Doctor Keawe enter the hospital room.

“I see you’ve got some visitors,” the doctor says. “How are you feeling, Danny?”

Danny ignores the question about his own wellbeing. “How’s Steve? Is he okay?”

Lou, Tani and Junior step back a bit to allow the doctor better access to the bed. But it’s obvious how much they want to hear what the doctor has to say. The tension inside the small hospital room is unbearable.

“He’s stable,” Doctor Keawe states, which causes some of the tension to fall off everyone’s shoulders. “The bullet didn’t hit any vital organs and he’s made it through surgery okay. He’s lost a lot of blood though and we have to be careful with the medication due to a concussion. But, given time, he’s going to make a full recovery. He’s going to be fine, Danny.”

The anxious tension shatters like glass and everyone heaves out a sigh of relief. Danny takes a shuddering breath and bows his head so his forehead is resting against his daughter’s. “Did you hear that? Daddy is going to be okay. He’s going to be fine.”

The baby opens her blue eyes and Danny can swear she’s smiling at him.

 

The process of waking up is difficult: Steve feels like he’s swimming through thick mud.

In his muddled brain, he’s aware that he’s not just waking from a nap, because the struggle is much too great for that. He’s pretty positive that he’s lying in a hospital bed. The weariness in his bones and muscles is familiar, as is the dry mouth and the smell of antiseptic that fills his nostrils with each breath he takes. It smells clean and sterile; and it’s making him nauseous. His stomach lurches.

Steve manages to peel his eyes open, it takes a lot of effort. The light inside the room is almost blinding and he slams his eyes shut again with a hoarse groan. Bile rushes up his throat and he coughs. The coughing causes a chain reaction in his body. The pleasant numbness he was feeling until now disappears and is replaced by a fierce pain in his side and a vicious pounding in his skull. He moans and swallows thickly.

“Babe, it’s okay. Just relax.”

Danny. It’s Danny.

Along with his husband’s voice come some memories. They’re all jumbled in his brain and trying to sort through them is giving Steve a migraine. He’s pretty sure he’s going to throw up in the near future.

“Steve, calm down. Your blood pressure is spiking again.” Danny’s muffled voice reaches his ears and he latches onto it like a drowning man. He sucks in a deep breath and opens his eyes again. This time, the bright light isn’t as bad anymore and he’s actually able to see something.

“D’nny?” he mutters, wincing at how croaky his voice sounds. He blinks a couple of times to bring his husband’s blurry form into focus.

Danny’s warm hand touches his shoulder. “Hey. I’m glad to see you’ve finally decided to wake up.”

Steve’s not sure what happened. His head is still fuzzy and he can’t grasp a clear thought. He wants to ask about the reason for his hospital stay, because the last thing he remembers is sitting in a helicopter, going… Going _where_? He frowns, because his brain is like a black hole.

“Babe, you’re going to give yourself an aneurysm. I know I keep calling your expressions _aneurysm face_ , but I’d rather you’d not have one. One emergency surgery a day is more than enough.”

 _Emergency surgery?_ “What?”

Danny runs his thumb over Steve’s right cheekbone. “You don’t remember?” he prods softly.

“I… No,” Steve stammers, once again trying to put his tangled thoughts into some kind of order. Then his eyes wander over Danny’s face and his heart skips a beat when he sees the hospital gown and the wheelchair his husband is sitting in.

“The baby,” he gasps and attempt to sit up. Pain, sharp and raw, slices through his abdomen and he collapses back into the pillows with a groan.

“Jesus! Are you insane?! _Don’t do that_ ,” Danny warns as he leans forward to hold Steve down.

Steve squints up at his husband. “D-Danny… Our daughter… Where…”

Danny smiles. He looks drawn and exhausted and Steve can see that he’s in some kind of pain, but he’s smiling. Smiling is good. “She’s good. And healthy. She’s with Lou, Tani and Junior. They’re trying to teach Junior that she won’t break if he looks or touches her. I don’t think he’s ever been in the same room with a baby before in his life.”

Steve blinks. A specific memory wriggles its way to the foreground. “She has brown hair…” he mutters, looking at Danny for confirmation. He’s not sure how he knows. He just does.

“She sure does,” Danny replies and smiles brightly. “And she’s absolutely perfect.”

“Can I see her?” Steve asks, trying again to sit up.

Danny huffs out a frustrated breath and pushes him back down. “Can you stop doing that? There’s still a hole in your gut.”

Right. The reason why he’s here. He remembers the excruciating pain in his side and the helicopter crash. “I broke a rib, didn’t I?”

“Broke a rib?” Danny repeats and raises his eyebrows. “Babe, you didn’t just _break a rib_. Lloyd _shot you_. You almost bled out. Not to mention that you crashed a helicopter. _Again!_ ”

“Bled out?” Steve pushes the covers aside and looks down at the square, white patch that covers his side. He pokes at it.

Danny sighs and pulls his hand away to stop him from aggravating the wound any further. “I can’t believe you didn’t notice it…”

Turning his head, Steve looks at Danny and takes in his tired blue eyes. He reaches out and cups his husband’s face. “You look exhausted.”

“Well, they _did_ rip a baby out of me a few hours ago,” Danny replies with a tired laugh. “And my husband almost got himself killed. It’s been a busy day.”

“Right,” Steve nods, smirking. “So… We’re really parents to a tiny baby girl?”

Danny chuckles. “We are. She the most precious thing I’ve seen since Grace and Charlie.”

“Yeah. I-I remember,” Steve says. Slowly, the memories are coming back. He remembers cutting the umbilical cord and holding his daughter. A fuzzy feeling spreads through his body. “Can I see her again?”

“A nurse is going to bring her by later,” Danny lets him know. He grabs Steve’s hand and squeezes. “I’m glad you’re okay. You scared me.”

With both their bellies marred by healing wounds, it’s difficult to find a way to comfortably embrace each other. Somehow, with a lot of shifting, grunting and even some swearing, they find a position that doesn’t hurt either of them.

Steve kisses Danny. “I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t mean to.”

Danny presses his forehead against Steve’s, careful of the bump there. “I know you didn’t.”

Steve kisses the corner of his husband’s lips. Then he chuckles. “We’re parents. Can you believe it? We’re a walking, talking disaster and we’re supposed to take care of a helpless little baby.”

Danny snorts. “ _You_ are a walking, talking disaster, babe. Not me. I’m perfectly sane.”

The laugh hurts Steve’s wound but it’s worth it. Danny still looks tired from the C-section, but the tight, concerned set around his eyes is gone. Steve hugs him tighter. “Whatever you say…”

 

**One month later…**

Steve is roused from his sleep by the crackling of the baby monitor that sits on his bedside table. A whimpering noise follows and he knows that’s he got about thirty seconds before there’ll be loud crying. He grunts into his pillow.

A finger pokes his shoulder. “Babe… Kalea’s awake again…” Danny mumbles, sounding equally as exhausted as Steve feels. When he refuses to move, Danny jabs him again. “Steve. It’s _your_ turn to feed her.”

With a groan, Steve rolls over and out of bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he rubs his gritty eyes. The baby starts to cry in earnest now, making him wince. How can such a tiny human being have such a loud voice?

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he sighs and pushes to his feet. He shuffles out of their bedroom and down the hallway to where their daughter is unhappily kicking her feet and flaying her arms. Eddie, who has found a new favorite spot right in front of the crib, is already pressing his snout through the slats, trying to lick her. He’s taking his role as the baby’s personal guard _very_ serious.

Steve shushes the little girl as he bends over the crib and carefully picks her up. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Daddy’s here,” he whispers and gently rocks her in his arms. He gropes around the crib for her pacifier and puts it in her mouth. This gives him approximately two minutes before she’ll spit it out again and demand real food.

Steve shifts his daughter higher up in his arms and carefully walks down the stairs, Eddie hot on his heels. He turns on the light in the kitchen and walks over to the cabinet, where he pulls out a fresh bottle and the baby formula. All the while, he gently rocks Kalea.

The bottle is just seconds from being ready, when the baby spits out the pacifier and starts to scream again. Her cute face turns beet red in seconds and tiny tears are leaking from her eyes.

“Shh, sweetheart. Almost ready,” Steve hushes her. He quickly pulls the bottle out of the warmer, checks the milk’s temperature on his wrist and then sticks the transparent nipple in her mouth. She instantly stops her desperate cries and starts drinking. Steve smiles down at her. “Just like Danno,” he whispers and kisses her forehead.

He turns the lights off again and climbs back up the stairs. Instead of going back to Kalea’s room he goes into their bedroom. Danny is already sitting up against the headboard with the bedside lamp on, waiting. “Someone seems hungry.”

“She is,” Steve chuckles. Without dislodging the bottle from their starving daughter’s mouth, he puts the baby in Danny’s arms. The girl wraps her tiny fist around Danny’s thumb and keeps drinking.

Steve smiles and crawls into bed next to his family. He runs his hand through Kalea’s soft hair. “She’s getting so big already. She was so tiny when she was born,” he mutters.

“No wonder. She’s eating _all the time_ ,” Danny laughs.

After just a few minutes, the bottle is empty and Kalea’s eyes are drooping. She’s smacking her lips and buries deeper into Danny’s chest. Gently, Steve lifts her out of his husband’s arms and carries her back to her room. After burping her, he puts her back in her crib and tells Eddie to stay. The dog wags his tale and lies down next to his human sister.

Steve chuckles and pets the dog’s head. “Good boy.”

 

With a smile on his lips, Danny watches Steve put their daughter back to sleep. Getting the baby monitor with video feed was definitely a good idea. He loves watching Steve interact with Kalea when he thinks that no one’s watching. The big, bad Navy SEAL is actually a big, fluffy softie. And it warms Danny’s heart.

“She’s asleep. For now,” Steve announces when he returns to the bedroom. He flops down on the mattress and snuggles closer to Danny.

“Good work, Daddy,” Danny praises and tilts his husband’s chin up with one finger to kiss him. His other hand travels further down and sneaks underneath the fabric of Steve’s cotton shirt. He grins. “And now that we’re already awake…”

Steve smirks. He lifts his upper body off the bed and allows Danny to pull the shirt off over his head. Danny’s hand runs down his chest and he hums. “Nice.”

“Like what you see?” Steve snickers and purposely flexes his muscles.

Danny laughs. “I do, babe. I do.”

With a wicked smirk, Steve crawls over to Danny kisses him heatedly. Leaning into the touch, Danny lets his hands roam over his husband’s toned body— until Steve hisses and pulls back.

As if burned, Danny snatches his hands back. “I’m sorry,” he winces and looks down at the still reddened wound on Steve’s side. It’s healing nicely, but it’s still tender. The same goes for Danny’s own incision. More than once now, they’ve accidentally touched each other’s lacerations.

With a sigh, Steve flops down next to Danny. “I guess we’re not quite ready for that yet.”

“I guess so,” Danny chuckles.

Steve turns onto his side. “Soon, though.”

Danny reaches out and tugs his husband closer until they’re pressed against each other. Steve carefully wraps his right arm around Danny’s waist. He stifles a yawn.

“Maybe we should use the time and catch up on sleep,” Danny suggests.

There’s no answer from his husband and when Danny looks down, he sees that Steve is already asleep again. He chuckles and leans over to turn off the light. “I love you, you big goof,” he whispers into Steve’s hair before he closes his own eyes. They drift off, wrapped in each other’s arms with their beautiful little daughter sleeping down the hall.

Things couldn’t be more perfect.


End file.
